Apparatus for the introduction of air and/or sealant into a tire

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for introducing air and/or sealant into a tire includes a container for the sealant having an inlet and an outlet, wherein the outlet is connectable to the inlet end of a hose whose outlet end is connectable to the tire to be filled and includes a pressure generation means which can be selectively connected to the inlet of the container or to the inlet end of a hose whose outlet end can be connected to the tire to be filled. The same hose is provided for the connection between pressure generation means and the tire to be filled, on the one hand, and between the outlet of the container and the tire to be filled, on the other hand, with respective couplings being provided at the pressure generation means, the inlet of the container, and the outlet of the container and at the inlet end of the hose which selectively enable the inlet end of the hose to be connected directly to the pressure generation means or the inlet of the container to be connected to the pressure generation means and the inlet end of the hose to be connected to the outlet of the container.

This application is a Divisional of, and claims priority to, U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/582,540 filed Sep. 27, 2012. Application Ser.No. 13/582,540 is the U.S. National Phase of PCT/EP2011/001034 filedMar. 2, 2011. Priority is also claimed to Application No. 10 2010 010361.6 filed Mar. 5, 2010 in Germany. All of these applications arehereby expressly incorporated by reference into the present application.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for the introduction ofair and/or sealant into a tire, in particular into a motor vehicle tire,having a container for the sealant which has an inlet and an outlet,wherein the outlet can be connected to the inlet end of a hose whoseoutlet end can be connected to the tire to be filled, and having apressure generation means, in particular an electric pump or acompressor, which can be selectively connected to the inlet of thecontainer or to the inlet end of a hose whose outlet end can beconnected to the tire to be filled.

Such an apparatus can be carried along on a motor vehicle as a so-calledpuncture kit as a replacement for a spare wheel. Puncture kits can beused either only to inflate a tire or to seal and subsequently inflate atire. The selective connection of the pressure generation means to theinlet of the container or to the inlet end of the hose can in thisrespect e.g. take place by means of a switch valve. Depending on whethera tire should only be inflated or should be both sealed and inflated,either the hose connected to the container or the hose connected to thepressure generation means is connected to the valve of the tire by auser. There is a problem in this respect in that the user must, on theone hand, set the switch valve to the correct position and mustsimultaneously connect the correct hose, that is either the airconveying hose or the sealant hose, to the tire. This is felt to beannoying. The provision of a switch valve is furthermore costly andrequires additional construction space.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,765,367 discloses a tire repair kit comprising a hosewhich may be connected selectively to a compressor or to an aerosol-typesealant container. A switch valve is used for changing between the twocoupling modes.

There is a need to improve the handling of apparatus of the named kindand to simplify their structure.

The object is satisfied by an apparatus having the features of claim 1.

In accordance with the invention, the same hose is provided for theconnection between the pressure generation means and the tire to befilled, on the one hand, and between the outlet of the container and thetire to be filled, on the other hand, with respective couplings beingprovided at the pressure generation means, at the inlet of the containerand at the outlet of the container as well as at the inlet end of thehose which selectively enable the inlet end of the hose to be connecteddirectly to the pressure generation means or the inlet of the containerto the pressure generation means and the inlet end of the hose to theoutlet of the container.

Due to the possibility of alternately coupling the pressure generationmeans, the container and the hose to one another and of decoupling themfrom one another, two different connection configurations of theapparatus are provided. Depending on the connection configuration,either a direct air throughflow takes place from the pressure generationmeans into the hose—without diversion through the container—or an airsupply into the container takes place which has the consequence of adispensing of sealant from the container into the hose. With a directair throughflow, compressed air is discharged from the outlet end of thehose without sealant so that the apparatus can be used in thecorresponding connection configuration for the pure inflation of a tirewhich is intact per se. With a diversion of the airflow delivered fromthe pressure generation means through the container, sealant is urgedout of the container into the hose so that the apparatus can be used inthis connection configuration for the sealing and subsequent inflationof a defective tire.

The operability of the apparatus is facilitated by the couplings since auser determines the desired operating mode—““only inflation” or “sealingand inflation”—by intuitive coupling together of the correspondingapparatus components. The user in particular neither has to take care ofthe actuation of a switch valve nor the correct selection between twohoses. Since one and the same hose is used for both operating modes andfurthermore no switch valve is required, a saving of material, weightand manufacturing costs results and thus also a reduction inenvironmental impact. The apparatus can in particular also be designedin a more space saving manner, which is of particular importance withrespect to the accommodation in a motor vehicle. It is also advantageousthat due to the coupling ability of the individual apparatus componentsa replacement due to use can be restricted to the parts which are notreusable—that is e.g. to the container. After the end of the shelf lifeof the sealant, equally only the container can be replaced withoutsuperfluously also changing the hose.

Identical couplings are preferably provided for the connection of thepressure generation means to the inlet of the container, on the onehand, and for the connection of the outlet of the container to the inletend of the hose, on the other hand. It is thus ensured that both thecontainer and the hose can be coupled to the pressure generation means.The connection of the pressure generation means is therefore configuredas a multipurpose connection due to the identical couplings.

The couplings are preferably made as plug-in connection couplings. Thismakes a particularly simple operability possible. A change between thetwo connection variants can in particular take place fast, which isparticularly of importance in the event of a puncture. The couplingscan, however, generally also be made as screw connections or as clampingconnections.

In accordance with an embodiment, respective connection stubs of thepressure generation means, of the inlet of the container and of theoutlet of the container as well as at the inlet end of the hose are madeas plugs or sockets for a plug-in connection. A particularly simpleconstruction is possible in this manner.

A coupling plug can in particular be provided at the inlet end of thehose which can selectively be plugged into a matching coupling socket atthe pressure generation means or into a matching coupling socket at theoutlet of the container. In this embodiment, a further coupling plug isexpediently provided at the inlet of the container and can likewise beplugged into the coupling socket of the pressure generation means. It isgenerally a question of the respective application as to whether a plugis to be plugged into a socket or whether a socket is to be pushed ontoa plug for the coupling.

O-rings for the sealing of the plug-in connections can be provided atthe couplings. In this manner, air at a relatively high pressure canalso be reliably directed from the pressure generation means to thecontainer and/or to the hose.

Furthermore, locking devices can be provided by which the couplings canbe latched in the coupled state. The locking devices can either beprovided directly at the respective coupling components or at a housingof the corresponding apparatus components. A bayonet closure can, forexample, be provided for the latching and unlatching of the respectivecoupling elements. An inadvertent separation of the mutually coupledapparatus components is avoided by the locking devices.

A safety valve or a pierceable membrane can be provided at the outlet ofthe container to close the outlet when the hose is not connected. It canthereby be prevented that sealant is discharged from the outlet in anunwanted manner if e.g. the switch for the activation of the pressuregeneration means is actuated by accident although no hose is connectedto the outlet of the container. The safety valve can be designed so thatit is opened by coupling of the hose to the outlet of the container inorder thus to enable a dispensing of sealant via the hose into the tireto be sealed. The coupling can be designed in a special manner at theinlet end of the hose for this purpose. A coupling plug can inparticular have an opening mandrel at the inlet end of the hose whichpresses a closure element of the safety valve into an open position onthe coupling of the hose to the container. An opening mandrel at theinlet end of the hose can also serve to pierce a membrane which sealsthe outlet of the container in a delivery state of the apparatus.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, a removal unit isprovided which is preferably releasably connected to the container,which is in particular able to be screwed onto the container and whichhas a respective support stub made as a coupling for the inlet and forthe outlet. The removal unit can therefore have a connection stub forthe supply of compressed air as well as a further connection stub forthe removal of the sealant from the container, with the couplings beingprovided directly at the connection stub. An emptied container can bereplaced in a simple and fast manner in that, for example, the emptiedcontainer is unscrewed from the removal unit and a filled container isscrewed on.

In accordance with a further embodiment, the connection stub for theoutlet of the container is offset by 180° to the connection stub for theinlet of the container at a housing of the removal unit. This has theadvantage that the container with the removal unit can be coupled in asimple manner between the pressure generation means and the hose.

The removal unit is preferably arranged at the lower end of thecontainer in the position of use of the apparatus. An emptying of thecontainer which is as complete as possible is thereby facilitated. Thecontainer can be arranged on its side in the position of use of theapparatus. In order also to ensure a good emptying ability with anarrangement of the container on its side, the outlet can be locatedbeneath the container base in the position of use. The container is,however, preferably arranged upside down in the removal position.

The coupling at the inlet end of the hose can be made for the connectionto a pressure store or to a pressure regulation system, whereby theflexibility of the system can be further increased.

In accordance with a further embodiment, a housing is provided for thereception of at least some of the apparatus components. The housing can,for example, be accommodated at an easily accessible location in thetrunk of a motor vehicle. The housing can generally also be arranged onits side in the position of use of the apparatus.

The housing can furthermore form a pedestal for the container. Thehousing is therefore simply placed on the floor for the use of theapparatus, with the container then being in the correct position of use.To ensure a reliable attachment for the container at such a pedestal, acut-out can be provided at the one side of the housing into which aremoval unit connected to the container can be plugged.

Further embodiments of the invention can be seen from the dependentclaims, from the description and from the enclosed drawings.

The invention will be described in the following with reference to thedrawings and to an embodiment.

FIG. 1 shows an apparatus in accordance with the invention for theintroduction of air and/or sealant into a tire in a first connectionconfiguration;

FIG. 2 shows the apparatus in accordance with FIG. 1 in a secondconnection configuration;

FIG. 3 shows a housing having pressure generation means of the apparatusof FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows an enlarged part view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 fromabove;

FIG. 5 shows a lateral sectional view of the arrangement of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 shows an enlarged part view of the apparatus of FIG. 2 fromabove;

FIG. 7 shows a lateral sectional view of the arrangement of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 shows a lateral part-sectional view of an apparatus in accordancewith an alternative embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 9 shows a lateral part-sectional view of an apparatus in accordancewith a further embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1 shows an apparatus 10 in accordance with the invention which isarranged in the position of use and which includes a housing 12, whichhas a compressor unit, not recognizable here, a container 14 withsealant and a hose 20. The compressor unit can include a compressor forthe pressurizing of environmental air and an electric motor as a drivefor the compressor which are likewise not recognizable in the drawings.The compressor unit is furthermore equipped with a manometerrecognizable in FIGS. 2 and 3 for the display of the air pressuregenerated by the compressor. The compressor unit can be supplied withelectric energy, for example, from a cigar lighter of a motor vehicle,by means of an electrical connection cable, not shown.

The hose 2 has an inlet end 24 and an outlet end 26, with the outlet end26 having a corresponding connection piece 28 for the connection of thehose 20 to a tire valve, for example a so-called VG8 screw connection.

The container 14 has an inlet as well as an outlet. In the firstconnection configuration shown in FIG. 1, the inlet of the container 14is connected to the compressor and the outlet of the container 14 isconnected to the hose 20, as will be explained in even more detail inthe following. On an activation of the compressor, e.g. by actuation ofa switch, sealant can thus be introduced from the container 14 into atire to be sealed. After emptying the container 14, the tire can beinflated directly in this manner.

FIG. 2 shows the apparatus 10 in a second connection configuration; Inthis connection configuration, the hose 20 is directly connected to thecompressor, while the container 14 is e.g. put to one side. Compressedair can thus be introduced into a tire to be filled which is intact perse without adding sealant or only the filling level of the tire can bechecked using the manometer 22.

The housing 12 with the compressor unit is shown without a container 14and without a hose 20 in FIG. 3. A removal of the container 14 and ofthe hose 20 can take place, for example, after an introduction ofsealant into a tire has taken place or at the end of the shelf life ofthe sealant in the container 14 to provide a new container and, wherenecessary, a new hose.

To alternate between the first and second connection configurations, thecompressor, the container 14 and the hose 20 can alternately be coupledto one another and decoupled from one another as will be explained moreprecisely in the following with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7.

The inlet and the outlet of the container 14, which can both be simplyrealized by the container neck, both open into a removal unit 30. Theremoval unit 30 is screwed onto the end of the container 14 which isdownwardly located in the position of use and is arranged upside down tofacilitate a complete emptying of the container 14 on removal ofsealant. The removal unit 30 includes a housing 34 having an inletconnection stub 36 and an outlet connection stub 38 which are arrangedat the housing 34 offset by 180° with respect to one another. The inletconnection stub 36 is made as a coupling plug 37 of a plug-in connectionand the outlet connection stub 38 is made as a coupling socket 39 of aplug-in connection. The compressor furthermore has a compressorconnection stub 32 which is likewise made as a coupling socket 39 of aplug-in connection. Furthermore, a hose connection stub 40 made as acoupling plug 37 is attached to the inlet end 24 of the hose 20.

The inlet connection stub 36 of the removal unit 30 can be plugged intothe compressor connection stub 32, with a first O-ring 42 provided atthe inlet connection stub 36 providing an ideal sealing of theconnection. The hose connection stub 40 can equally be plugged into theoutlet connection stub 38 of the removal unit 30, with a second O-ring44 provided at the hose connection stub 40 providing an ideal sealing ofthe connection. In a state of the apparatus 10 ready for operation inaccordance with the first connection configuration, the inlet connectionstub 36 of the removal unit 30 is plugged into the compressor connectionstub 32 and the hose connection stub 40 is plugged into the outletconnection stub 38 of the removal unit 30. In this state, the plugconnections can each be secured against accidental decoupling by mutualrotation of the coupling plug 37 and of the coupling socket 39. For thispurpose, angled grooves 46 are provided at the compressor connectionstub 32 and at the outlet connection stub 38 of the removal unit 30 anda corresponding locking pin 48 of the hose connection stub 40 can engageinto said grooves.

Furthermore, a preferably resilient latching hook 60 projects from thehousing 34 of the removal unit 30 and can latch into a recess 62provided at the housing 12 of the apparatus 10 in order thus to fix theremoval unit 30 to the housing 12. A cut-out 70 provided at a side ofthe housing 12 allows an access to the compressor connection stub 32 andfurthermore serves to receive the removal unit 30 at least in part inthe housing 12 in order thus further to stabilize the connection betweenthe container 14 and the housing 12 serving as a pedestal. When theremoval unit 30 is attached to the housing 12, the inlet connection stub36 is therefore plugged into the compressor connection stub 32, thelatching hook 60 is latched into the recess 62 and the border of thecut-out 70 is in engagement with a section of the housing 34 of theremoval unit 30 so that overall a particularly reliable attachment ofthe removal unit 30 and thus of the container 14 results at the housing12.

The removal unit 30 has a container inlet connection stub 49 and also acontainer outlet connection stub 50 beside the inlet connection stub 36and the outlet connection stub 38. The container inlet connection stub49 and the container outlet connection stub 50 are arranged offset by90° with respect to the inlet connection stub 36 and to the outletconnection stub 38 at the housing 34 of the removal unit 30 and extendnesting coaxially into one another. A jacket 52 likewise coaxial to thecontainer inlet stub 49 and having an internal thread 54 serves to screwthe housing 34 onto a corresponding counter-thread of the container 14.When the housing 34 is screwed onto the container 14, both the containerinlet connection stub 49 and the container outlet connection stub 50 areconnected to the interior of the container 14. In this respect, thecontainer 14 can have an inlet and an outlet separate therefrom, withthe inlet being in communication with the container inlet connectionstub 49 and the outlet being in communication with the container outletconnection stub 50. Alternatively, the container 14 can also have anopening into which both the container inlet connection stub 49 and thecontainer outlet connection stub 50 open when the housing 34 is screwedon and which thus simultaneously serves as an inlet and an outlet. Withsuch a configuration, the inlet of the container 14 is thereforeidentical to the outlet of the container 14.

Since the two coupling plugs 37 of the apparatus 10 are of identicaldesign and since furthermore the two coupling sockets 39 are also ofidentical design, the hose connection stub 40 cannot only be pluggedinto the output connection stub 38 of the removal unit 30, but also, ifdesired, into the compressor connection stub 32. The hose 20 can in thismanner therefore be directly coupled to the compressor in order thus tointroduce the compressed air generated by the compressor into the tirewithout the addition of sealant. This corresponds to the secondconnection configuration shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.

After activation of the electric motor, the compressor generates anairflow at its outlet which is directed to the hose 20 either directlyor while including the container 14 depending on the connectionconfiguration. If the airflow first moves into the container 14, thesealant is first blown by the thereby arising pressure increase in thecontainer 14 via the outlet connection stub 38 and the hose 20 into aleaking tire connected to the outlet end 26 of the hose 20 to seal thistire. Subsequently, the tire can be inflated with air in this manner toset the prescribed tire pressure. If, in contrast, the hose 20 iscoupled directly to the compressor, a tire connected to the outlet end26 of the hose 20 can thus be inflated with air without the supply ofsealant.

Depending on the connection configuration, either a tire to be repairedcan be filled with sealant and air or a functioning tire can be directlyinflated with air from the compressor. The inflation of the intact tireor the sealing of the leaking tire in this respect takes place using oneand the same hose 20 so that the user only has to couple the compressor,the container 14 to the removal unit 30, and the outlet end 26 of thehose 20 in the correct manner by means of the coupling plugs 37 and thecoupling sockets 39 before putting the apparatus into operation. Sinceit is in this respect essentially a question of either coupling the hose20 directly to the compressor or, otherwise of coupling the container 14with the removal unit 30 therebetween, the risk of an incorrect use isrelatively small. In the case of a replacement of the container 14, theremoval apparatus 30 with the integrated connection stubs 36, 38 cangenerally be used again, which is in particular advantageous underenvironmental aspects.

An alternative embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 8. Theoutlet connection stub 38′ of the removal unit 30′ is equipped with asafety valve 72 in this embodiment to avoid an unintentional escape ofsealant from the outlet connection stub 38′. The safety valve 72includes a sealing disk 74 which is preferably made from rubber andwhich is pressed toward a valve seat 78 by means of a spring 76 toeffect a closure of the outlet connection stub 38′. The hose connectionstub 40′ has a tapered end section 80 which abuts the sealing disk 74 onthe plugging of the hose connection stub 40′ into the outlet connectionstub 38′ and presses it away from the valve seat 78 into an openposition. With a safety valve 72 opened in this manner, sealant canenter into the hose 20 from the container 14 via openings at the hoseconnection stub 40′ not recognizable in the drawing. If a user shouldswitch on the compressor although no hose is coupled to the removal unit30′, the safety valve 72 prevents an unintentional escape of sealant byclosure of the outlet connection stub 38′.

FIG. 9 shows a further embodiment of the invention. To avoid anunintended escape of sealant, the outlet connection stub 38″ of theremoval unit 30″ in this embodiment is closed in the delivery state by apierceable membrane 82. The membrane 82 can be a hot-sealing filmarranged in the outlet connection stub 38″. The hose connection stub 40′has a similar design to that described with reference to FIG. 8 and inparticular likewise has a tapered end section 80. On the plugging of thehose connection stub 40′ into the outlet connection stub 38″, thetapered end section 80 acting as an opening mandrel pierces the membrane82 and thus establishes flow communication between the container 14 andthe hose 20.

REFERENCE NUMERAL LIST

-   10 apparatus-   12 housing-   14 container-   20 hose-   22 manometer-   24 inlet end-   26 outlet end-   28 connection piece-   30, 30′, 30″ removal unit-   32 compressor connection stub-   34 housing-   36 inlet connection stub-   37 coupling plug-   38, 38′, 38″ outlet connection stub-   39 coupling socket-   40, 40′ hose connection stub-   42 first O-ring-   44 second O-ring-   46 groove-   48 locking pin-   49 container inlet connection stub-   50 container outlet connection stub-   52 jacket-   54 internal thread-   60 latching hook-   62 recess-   70 cut-out-   72 safety valve-   74 sealing disk-   76 spring-   78 valve seat-   80 tapered end section-   82 membrane

1. An apparatus for the introduction of air and/or sealant into a tire,said apparatus comprising; a container for the sealant which has aninlet and an outlet, wherein the outlet can be connected to the inletend of a hose having an outlet side that can be connected to the tire tobe filled; and a pressure generation means which can be selectivelyconnected to the inlet of the container or to the inlet end of a hosehaving an outlet end that can be connected to the tire to be filled,wherein the hose can be connected between the pressure generation meansand the tire to be filled, as well as between the outlet of thecontainer and the tire to be filled, wherein couplings are provided (i)at the pressure generation means, (ii) at the inlet of the container,(iii) at the outlet of the container, and (iv) at the inlet end of thehose, which couplings selectively (a) allow the inlet end of the hose tobe connected directly to the pressure generation means or (b) allow theinlet of the container to be connected to the pressure generation meansand simultaneously the inlet end of the hose to be connected to theoutlet of the container, and wherein said apparatus contains no switchvalve.
 2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said tire is amotor vehicle tire.
 3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein thepressure generation means is either an electric pump or a compressor. 4.An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the couplings that areprovided for the connection of the pressure generation means to theinlet of the container and for the connection of the outlet of thecontainer to the inlet end of the hose are identical.
 5. An apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the couplings are plug-in connectioncouplings.
 6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the pressuregeneration means, the inlet and of the outlet of the container, and theinlet end of the hose have connection stubs that are plugs or socketsfor a plug-in connection.
 7. An apparatus according to claim 3, whereina coupling plug is provided at the inlet end of the hose which canselectively be plugged into a matching coupling socket at the pressuregeneration means or into a matching coupling socket at the outlet of thecontainer.
 8. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein O-rings areprovided at the couplings to seal the plug-in connections.
 9. Anapparatus according to claim 1, wherein locking devices are provided sothat the couplings can be latched in a coupled state.
 10. An apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein a removal unit is provided which has aconnection stub for coupling for the inlet and the outlet of thecontainer.
 11. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the removalunit is releasably connected to the container.
 12. An apparatusaccording to claim 10, wherein the removal unit can be screwed onto thecontainer.
 13. An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein theconnection stub for the outlet of the container is arranged offset by180° with respect to the connection stub for the inlet of the containerat a housing of the removal unit.
 14. An apparatus according to claim10, wherein the removal unit is arranged at the lower end of thecontainer in the position of use of the apparatus.
 15. An apparatusaccording to claim 1, further comprising a pressure store or a pressureregulation system, wherein a coupling is formed at the inlet end of thehose for the connection to the pressure store or pressure regulationsystem.
 16. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a housing isprovided for the reception of at least some of the apparatus components.17. An apparatus to claim 16, wherein the housing forms a pedestal forthe container.
 18. An apparatus to claim 16, wherein a cut-out isprovided at a side of the housing into which a removal unit connected tothe container can be plugged.